Stocks end higher; Dow industrials have 7-day winning streak

LeslieWines

NEW YORK (MarketWatch) -- U.S. stocks closed with minor gains Monday, as the Dow Jones Industrial Average posted a seven-session winning streak, after investors behaved cautiously ahead of what is expected to be a weak first-quarter earnings season. The mildly positive sentiment was linked to deal news and a delayed reaction to Friday's stronger-than-expected jobs report. "People are reevaluating what the jobs report means for inflation, interest rates, and for earnings," said Paul Nolte, director of investments at Hinsdale Associates. "It's not good at all for inflation and it keeps the [Federal Reserve} under pressure to keep rates higher." The Dow Jones Industrial Average
DJIA, -0.05%
was up 8.94 points at 12,569.14 at its unofficial close. The S&P 500
SPX, +0.01%
rose 0.85 point to 1,444.61 and the Nasdaq Composite
$compx
fell 2.16 points to 2,469.18. The last time the Dow had a seven-day winning streak was in June, 2005.

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